BHT Pro Bono – a Free Rent Deposit Dispute Service

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A new, ground breaking digital housing service is working to assist tenants living in the private rented sector.

BHT Pro Bono is a free BHT service that provides a deposit protection service over Skype to assured short hold tenants.

Run by two university law students Hannah Brown and Aidan Seymour-Butler at BHT’s Advice Centre in Brighton, and funded by Sussex University, the new service is designed to reach out to the people of Brighton and Hove.

People will be able to book a webcam appointment using a simple online booking system and then discuss their concerns from the comfort of their own home.

The project provides advice on several key issues effecting tenants in the private rented sector with specific focus on reclaiming deposits that are being unlawfully retained by landlords. Other work covers eviction, homelessness and eligibility for Legal Aid.

It is hoped that BHT Pro Bono will go some way towards addressing the growing demand for housing advice at a time of highly limited resources and cuts to publicly funded legal services.

Asides from attempting to fill the gap that exists in publicly funded legal services, BHT Pro Bono also provides an alternate route for accessing advice for those people who might otherwise be excluded from traditional face-to-face services due to limitations on time, money or mobility.